It has long been appreciated that the addition of fluids, liquid fluids such as water, ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol and the like, as well as gaseous fluids such as methane, ethane, propane, butane, and the like, to the fuel-air charge admitted to the combustion chambers of internal combustion engines produces advantages such as lower carbon deposits and permits the use of a lower grade of fuel without decrease in engine performance. Many patents have issued on structures for introducing water, for example, to engine combustion chambers. For example, Benjamin U.S. Pat. No. 1,280,643 discloses a system in which water vapor from the cooling system of an internal combustion engine is connected to a carburetor at a point between the throttle valve and fuel spray nozzle.
Bowman U.S. Pat. No. 1,890,107 discloses a system for introducing water to the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine. Adair U.S. Pat. No. 2,431,679 discloses a structure in which water is introduced to the carburetor between the choke and the fuel inlet. Garrigus U.S. Pat. No. 2,493,808 discloses a system in which water in finely atomized form is injected into the fuel charge in the manifold of an internal combustion engine.
Vanderpoel U.S. Pat. No. 2,676,577 discloses a system for introducing a fluid such as water or a mixture of water and alcohol, etc., to the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine. Rosenthal U.S. Pat. No. 2,810,561 discloses a system for supplying a highly mixed and vaporized quantity of a special liquid mixture from a container to the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine. Stoltman U.S. Pat. No. 3,034,487 discloses a system for injecting water at the venturi section of a carburetor used in a supercharged internal combustion engine.
The above-listed patents are characterized as being rather cumbersome in structure. Of necessity, these structures would need to be incorporated in internal combustion engines at the time of the assembly thereof. The present invention is directed to an attachment which can be easily and quickly added to an existing engine to provide a means for introducing fluid to the intake air thereof.